tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8080479542725269239.post2293204078252849751..comments2021-02-18T11:44:48.535+00:00Comments on Rusty Light: Keep the Cat free!Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11521636095805595607noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8080479542725269239.post-16141107116878119982012-03-02T15:12:35.652+00:002012-03-02T15:12:35.652+00:00Also, I agree with you somewhat on the last point....Also, I agree with you somewhat on the last point. I had originally intended it to be a Feature, with an associated Comment article. Then students could have seen the facts and the opinion separately. But the idea really didn't work at all, the Feature was bland and the Comment article was repetitive and whiny. This way works much better stylistically, but inevitably sacrifices impartiality. The question is how to show anger without being inflammatory. I'll adapt the article again and see what I can do.Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11521636095805595607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8080479542725269239.post-70592068207555926032012-03-02T14:46:41.602+00:002012-03-02T14:46:41.602+00:00I had no problem with the Patron's Club in its...I had no problem with the Patron's Club in itself, my problem was that allows companies "to invest in the future development of the Careers Advisory Service." This is not something that the Cambridge equivalent does. Moreover, Imperial's club gives real benefits only to those companies which donate over £1,000 (The dinners, for example, are not open to companies who are not rich enough to afford such a donation). As far as I can tell, Cambridge has no such price barrier.<br /><br />Furthermore, Cambridge's sponsorship opportunities are not as far-reaching as those at Imperial. My problem with sponsorship at Imperial was that "an undisclosed sum of money will enable your company to position its stall at the entrance to a career's fair, so you can attract (or distract) more students than your competitors." This, as far as I am aware, is rather more than Camrbidge offers. "Sponsorship opportunities include bags to be given out to students at the Event and branded polo shirts for our Event helpers," says the Cambridge website, and I think this kind of sponsorship is far less intrusive and worrying.<br /><br />In my opinion Imperial's careers service goes substantially further than other universities' services in appearing to give priorities to the wealthy, and that is my problem with it. It is not a scheme to push us towards banks, it is a scheme intended to make money, and the apparent financial bias is an inevitable consequence. I argue that the College should provide the CAS with more funding so that it doesn't need to price charities, small businesses and other, less wealthy companies out of its services.Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11521636095805595607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8080479542725269239.post-55372897056570517762012-03-02T14:28:41.036+00:002012-03-02T14:28:41.036+00:00http://www.careers.cam.ac.uk/recruiting/recsupport...http://www.careers.cam.ac.uk/recruiting/recsupportersclub.asp also exists, while we are correcting Cambridge. Providing "meetings" rather than dinners. Further there are "sponsorship" opportunities for large companies.<br /><br />The point is, the careers service is not doing anything underhand, or different from other universities, but you present it as a scheme to push us towards banks.<br /><br />I am interested in seeing the article published because I believe it is genuinely of interest to students to know what services careers provide to recruiters. For that to happen you probably have to remove the rhetoric on careers acting to some ulterior motive to make money rather than acting in student's interests.@sirjamesgreennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8080479542725269239.post-16572813974632786132012-03-02T14:11:32.216+00:002012-03-02T14:11:32.216+00:00I don't understand the problem with being infl...I don't understand the problem with being inflammatory and defamatory. This was, after all, intended to be a Comment article, not a News story or a Feature. All the quotes you have given are opinions which I believe to be well backed-up by the facts presented. Comment articles aren't intended to be "balanced" or "free of accusations". <br /><br />On the other hand, thank you for pointing out the Cambridge mailing information to me. Evidently something I had missed. I will correct the Careers article accordingly. As far as I am aware, there are no other factual errors with that article. In particular, every fact about Imperial was information taken directly from Imperial's website, so if it is untrue then that is the fault of the College. <br /><br />I have noticed that since I first published the Careers article, information on the Careers website has changed, in particular the price of Careers fairs. The College then criticised me for getting my facts wrong, and stated that my article was factually incorrect as a result.Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11521636095805595607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8080479542725269239.post-34273605847950865942012-03-02T14:05:03.716+00:002012-03-02T14:05:03.716+00:00Wow. I can understand why Matt didn't want to ...Wow. I can understand why Matt didn't want to publish it after receiving such an email, but if everything in the article was true there would be no grounds for legal action. Not to mention how much worse any legal action would make the College look – and how much more attention it would draw to the issue.Kellyhttp://kellyoak.esnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8080479542725269239.post-15316777331503846382012-03-02T13:45:21.692+00:002012-03-02T13:45:21.692+00:00I am sure, were you to write for the Guardian, you...I am sure, were you to write for the Guardian, you would find yourself in trouble for the previous article. Allow me to pick some choice phrases, reread them with an objective critical eye and see whether you can understand the argument for them being defamatory.<br /><br />"Here is the result: the story of how Imperial's Careers Advisory Service (CAS) fucks with your mind and steals your future."<br /><br />"Or does it sound more like a cynical way to use students for profit?"<br /><br />"What we have here is a careers service which, because of its apparent corporate bias, changes students' perceptions of the jobs market and seems to force them towards lives they don't want to lead."<br /><br />" University, it seems, will soon be not about education but rather producing a steady stream of workers for large companies. With our CAS behaving as it does, I fear that this process is already beginning at Imperial."<br /><br />"our Careers Advisory Service has been effectively privatised. "<br /><br />"Or to act as for-profit advertising for the richest corporations, while deceiving students of their genuine opportunities? "<br /><br />Not to mention - your research on Cambridge was flawed and shallow - <br />http://www.careers.cam.ac.uk/recruiting/recaddpublicity.asp<br />http://www.careers.cam.ac.uk/recruiting/recmailings.asp<br /> - will be worth a read. <br /><br />Journalists should only be free to be responsible. What you have written is inflammatory, defamatory, incorrect and ultimately flawed. Your urge to be outraged has overridden an opportunity to inform students.<br /><br />Slow down, relax and write a considered, balanced article free of accusations of "selling out" to the corporate man. Otherwise your writing looks shallow.@sirjamesgreennoreply@blogger.com